Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2014
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School Library Journal Top 10 Latino Books of 2014
Horn Book Fanfare Title, 2014
Pura Belpre Honor for Illustration, 2015
“Litle Red rides an ATV to deliver la canasta (basket) to her ailing abuela in this hip updated version of the traditional tale. Liberally sprinkled with Spanish words and phrases, the rhyming text is fresh and funny, (“Abue,’ he said in a high squeaky box, ‘I;m sorry to hear of your terrible tox”) and often unexpected. (For example, “basket” is rhymed with “who asked it?”) And just as clever as the quirky text are the watercolor, ink, and gouache illustrations that contain plenty of humor and multiple layers of meaning. The Three Blind Mice accompany Little Roja on her journey, while three magp8ies follow and call out warnings that appear in flowing ribbons that act as dialogue bubbles. Two little trickster elves make mischief throughout. But best of all is Abuela herslf, shown here as an aging hippie who appears to be working on a manuscript revision in her sick bed. She doesn’t really need rescuing–she protects herself by holding up a stature of St. Jude; Little Roja joins in by throwing a pot of hot sopa at the wolf. Once the wolf is vanquished, capable Abuela discourages future intruders by installing a security sistema, while Little Roja trades in her red good for one with tiger stripes. An inventive spin on a familia tale, this will stand up to repeated readings and viewings.” –The Horn Book, starred review
